


Home Searching

by coop500



Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Geoffrey is nice to children, Human Geoffrey McCullum, Nice Jonathan, No Civilian Kills | Not Even Once, Soft Vore, Tiny people, Tom is also nice to tiny people, mouse people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-09 05:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18632194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coop500/pseuds/coop500
Summary: A young girl named Laura attempts to find a new home in the cruel and dangerous city of London, crossing paths with vampires and vampire hunters alike.





	1. Crossing paths with vampires

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This story contains soft, non-fatal and gentle vore, meaning one person swallows another whole, but don't worry no one is harmed by this and it's done in a protective, safekeeping sense.
> 
> So this story IS technically finished but I haven't beta read it entirely yet and it's pretty long so I figured it was best to break it up into like, two/three parts. 
> 
> Once I finish beta reading it all, it will be the longest finished single story of mine so that's exciting~ This section IS beta read to the best of my abilities though. And I apologize for any OOC stuff for Geoffrey or Tom, I admit I haven't paid them much mind before but I had some help with Geoff.  
> The Vampyr discord server also helped me out a lot on certain points.

A street light flickered in the city of London, a rat sat on the top of it before a man in a long, grey coat walked a little too close, causing it to leap onto the nearby building and scurry off. The man held a small sword in one hand, walking carefully and on high alert for.... something. He glanced down an alleyway as if expecting to see something or someone there, but it was empty, He stared for a little while longer before tucking his sword back into his coat, a sigh escaped him after. "No Priwen… no Skals, I guess that's good. " Jonathan, for that was his name, said to himself. He took out the pocket watch in his vest that had a golden chain connected to it, to see morning was not too far off... he had an hour, at best, before the sun would start to rise. 

Jonathan let out another heavy sigh, mournful almost, as he was missing the ability to watch the rising sun. It used to be something he looked forward to, to watch how the sky changed colors like a rainbow. Now he was forced to dread it, to hide from it like the creature of night he was. What good was it to live forever and yet be unable to enjoy and admire life's pleasures? His fangs caught his bottom lip for the countless time after the sigh, having fangs was something he still struggled with getting used to. "Gah! "He said, reaching up to touch his lip, only for his fingers to get a tiny bit of blood on them, his own blood from the now tiny cut in his lip. Jonathan lowered his hand then and shook his head, knowing if Lady Ashbury saw that she'd surely tease him for it. Mostly it happened when he moved his mouth while distracted, much like how one may bite their cheek or tongue while eating yet, not focused on eating. 

He shook off his moment of foolishness and reminded himself that he needed shelter from the sun that would soon be rising. He preferred a safehouse and he knew of one not far from here, so he moved to start walking again, only to pause when he heard a squeak down the very alleyway he was just looking down. A frown crossed his brow and he turned, focusing his vampiric senses to see something rat sized was down there. Ugh, rats... how many had he killed now? A hundred? A thousand? It wasn't so much that he felt bad for killing the animals, rats were pests in London and there was no love loss there, but people... people did not kill rats by biting them and draining their blood out. Only animals bit into their food while it was still alive, yet as a vampire, Jonathan had no choice, it was either the rats or a human. 

Unfortunately he could feel the hunger gnawing at him, it wasn't strong but he liked keeping the urge mild in case he happened across innocent humans here. So with another sigh, he turned to walk down the alleyway, his focus on the little rat-sized creature. However, as he neared, it... It made a weird yelling sound, not quite like a rat but not like a person either, but it sure sounded more like a scream than anything else. He saw a rat-like tail slip under the building to the left and he crouched down, seeing a hole there where the... creature no doubt escaped to. But something was off, was he hallucinating or was that not a rat at all? He shook his head, surely it had to be a rat, what else could it be? 

The doctor then looked around the area, before he noticed an upside-down cardboard box with a hole cut into the side. He tilted his head before carefully lifting the box up, only to see.... dollhouse furnishings, like a small bed and a second bigger bed, a table, a cupboard, and some other common house furniture. But it was all dollhouse sized and perfectly placed as if someone was using it. But in all his years he never saw someone anywhere near small enough to use this stuff. Curious, he used two careful fingers to open the cupboard and sure enough, there was food inside! Sunflower seeds, some crumbs of bread and other dry foods. "What the.... ? " He whispered under his breath, carefully closing the little doors after so the food didn't get stale. 

The furnishings were very well made, it was not simple dollhouse furnishings but more so made for genuine use. He never saw anything like it as he placed the cardboard box back on top, as it was before. He wanted to investigate more, look around and try to perhaps find whoever may have made and or is living in that... house? For a lack of a better term. But with the sun rising soon, it was a risk to investigate and possibly be caught out here. The trail would be cold but... perhaps the next night he could do some investigating instead. So he stood up and left the alleyway, stealing a glance up at the sky to see the dark begin to fade ever so slightly. He winced and quickened his pace, spending a good twenty minutes walking down the main street to the safe house he knew of. It was further than the vampire remembered, but he still managed to get there in time. 

Jonathan looked up and then in a puff of black smoke, he vanished and then reappeared on the little balcony, in front of a red door that said 'keep out' in white paint. Of course, Jonathan ignored the paint and just pushed it open, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. The man paused for a moment before he let out a calm breath, thankful he got here in time. He made his way to the workbench first, breaking down some items he found and cooking up more medicine for the people of London. He was pleased with the result and put everything away, feeling a sense of tiredness set in and the need to get some rest. 

With that in mind the doctor turned to the bed and walked up to it, about to lay down and relax. However, before he did he spotted something in the bed, something that shouldn't be there. At first, he thought it was a well-made kid's toy as he reached to pick it up, but then he paused, watching in awe as the tiny figure rolled over in its sleep. His hand hovered over... her, it was female judging by the dress and the pink bow she had on her tail. He pulled his hand away and instead knelt down, his face leaned closer to get a better look. It was almost unbelievable, but the little female was a real living being, with clothes and everything, but she had soft mouse ears and a tail, with a human face. She looked so... peaceful in her sleep, he didn't want to wake her up, but he couldn't lie down either as she was almost right in the middle of the bed. 

The Ekon sighed before he stood up on his feet again. He was so tired, but he didn't want to hurt this little... person? Creature? He was going with person, for now, feeling that she may have had a hand in those furnishings in that cardboard box some ways off. There was another safehouse not too far from this one... Jonathan wondered if perhaps he could make it. He quietly walked away from the bed and back to the door, pulling it open but quickly regretting it when sunlight poured in. He hissed in pain as the sun made charred marks on his cheeks and hands before he closed the door. It didn't take long for the wounds to heal once he was back in the safety of the building, but that also meant he was trapped in here until nightfall. 

Jonathan sighed yet again, shaking his head before he turned and walked back to the bed, making sure the girl was still sleeping despite the ruckus and surprisingly, she was. Given her frame, the doctor could tell the wee one was likely a child, it only being further proven by how she hugged her tail to herself. He found himself calmly sitting down on the bed, of course, some ways away from her as he tried to figure out what to do. He didn't want to wake the poor dear, no doubt she'd be terrified if she woke up only to see a giant strange man and a vampire to boot. But what could he do instead.... The doctor yawned, feeling his long 'nightshifts' setting in. 

Suddenly an idea did come to mind then, perhaps if he put her somewhere warm and soft, she won't wake up? Granted... the only safe, soft and warm place he could think of was a pretty scary one too, but maybe she won't notice and just be happy she was somewhere safe and cozy? The vampire idly rested a hand over his middle, deep in thoughts as he tried to debate if nicely swallowing the little one while she slept was too rude. On one hand, he'd be nice about it and wouldn't harm the tiny child, but on the other... It felt kind of like those old fairytales about monsters eating children out of their beds. Granted this bed wasn't her's though it wasn't exactly his either, it was just kind of... anyone who needed shelter. Then there was the concern of the child waking up in the middle of the process and understandably freaking out about being eaten. 

He didn't want to be mean to her after all, but he wasn't sure where else he could put her, besides within his stomach, where she'd be safe. His stomach on the other hand, namely his second, safe one, would be perfect. It was enclosed and protected so she wouldn't get crushed or anything, no animals or other vampires could come in and harm her, she won't catch a cold since, even as an Ekon, he still had some warmth within him. He was much cooler than a human body temperature wise, but he wasn't really cold either, at least not deep inside, he felt that it should be a comfortable warmth for her. In the end, Jonathan decided the good outweighed the bad in this situation and it was worth the risk of scaring her, though he still dreaded the possibility and hoped he could get her down without waking her up. 

With that in mind, the Ekon took a deep breath, before he reached down with two hands, his left carefully sliding under her while his right helped to carefully push her limbs onto his palm, and to prevent her from falling off. She was amazingly light and frail, though his vampiric side was still able to sense her pulse. It was something he usually ignored if he could, but in this case, he focused on it, for it acted as a good early warning system if she started to wake up. So far her pulse remained steady and calm, though she did shift and murmur slightly on his hand. So far she seemed to be a pretty heavy sleeper, which was good for him. He waited a few moments so nothing was happening too fast, before he slowly lifted her up towards his face, getting a closer look now than he ever did. She looked so.... innocent and peaceful, he felt a pang of guilt for being about to eat the poor dear. But he reminded himself that this wasn't out of malicious intent, quite the reverse actually, but it didn't help entirely. Still, waiting too much longer wouldn't help anything, so he brought her up to his mouth and opened his jaws, not extremely wide but just enough so his fangs weren't too much of danger. She was skinny enough to slip right between his left and right fangs, so he covered his front bottom flat teeth with the tip of his tongue before he began to slide her inside feet first, mostly using his fingers and making sure not to drop her while he did this. Unfortunately for him, the girl also had more mouse-like feet, which means she didn't have shoes, so when his tongue touched her, she let out a sleepy giggle, the slimy muscle no doubt a bit ticklish. 

Jonathan stiffened a bit, feeling her shift a little on his tongue, while worried that she was going to wake up. Thankfully she didn't and just relaxed again, allowing the vampire to ease her in deeper. It didn't take long for her body to be more or less entirely in his mouth, with her tail draped over the tip of his tongue and hanging out of his jaws a little. The wee girl was thankfully very relaxed and still, only a faint happy murmur escaped her from the softness and faint warmth from his breath. He wasn't as warm as a human but there was still some warmth and it was enough to please the tiny one. The tip of his tongue curled around the top of her head a little, pulling her in deeper until her feet were almost at his gag spot. 

He stopped then and closed his lips, though not his teeth as her long tail was still outside. Like a noodle, he gently slurped up the tail before he closed his teeth. Now all he had to do was swallow... He took a breath through his nose before he tipped his head back just a bit. There was a pause, mostly to make sure she wasn't waking up, but it seemed everything was okay so he took a slow, gentle swallow. She went down part way, but the swallow was a little too gentle, so he had to swallow again to get the rest of her down his gullet. A small bulge appeared in the vampire's neck, slowly traveling downwards until she slipped beyond his neck and into his chest, sliding down closer and closer to his belly with each passing moment. 

The Ekon sighed in relief, keeping his body relaxed while he felt this... tight lump inside travel down towards his stomach, having been used to drinking blood for the last few weeks it was weird eating such a large, solid object. He was also surprised his vampiric body didn't make him just throw her back up, but he guessed that she did have blood in her so that was probably why. It didn't take long until she slipped down inside of his belly then, or well... his safekeeping belly anyway. Jonathan attentively rested a hand over his middle, partly expecting her to wake up then and freak out about being eaten. But he didn't feel any movement nor did he hear anything... it seemed he managed to nicely eat the girl without waking her up, allowing him to sleep in the bed without fear of harming her. 

He smiled warmly then as more protective instincts flared up, giving his belly a few soft, tender rubs where he could feel the little mouse girl all settled comfortably inside. With her safely tucked out of harm's way, Jonathan shifted up further onto the bed and carefully laid down on it. He felt the small weight inside of him slide from the gravity shift, but it didn't seem to be enough to wake the child, which was good. He crossed his hands over his middle and relaxed, allowing his tired eyes to drift shut. He wasn't entirely sure what the next night will bring but he felt he could cross that bridge once he got to it, including having to explain to the little child why he gobbled her up. 

==========================================================================

With a faint, high pitched groan, the young mouse girl shifted to sit upright. She felt like that she probably slept longer than intended.... But the giant human bed was just so soft and comfortable and... slimy? Wait, beds were not slimy, the girl frowned before opening her eyes only to see nothing. Did she... get stuck under the covers maybe? But no that wouldn't explain why she was covered in slime. "Ick... " She sighed, trying to wipe some of it off but then she realized the ground she was on was also coated in the same substance. The ground was also way more plush than the bed was, but also slick, the air was humid and somewhat warm too. "Where am I? " She asked, though mostly to herself as she began to crawl around, trying to figure it out. The darkness was scary, though it wasn't the first time she been in a place she couldn't see, this was the first time she woke up in such a place. Plus most dark places were cold and hard, like metal or rock. 

Soon she bumped into a wall, which had the same texture as the floor did after she reached up with a hand to feel it. It was kind of squishy and... she imagined it'd be nice to snuggle against, hence why she was asleep for so long. The girl followed the wall around to try and find some kind of exit, but... after a while she realized she was just crawling in a circle. She got the sense that she was trapped then, perhaps in some kind of bag or something? She wasn't sure if it was malicious, with the walls and floor being so soft and snuggly, she always felt traps were more like cages, cold hard metal bars and such. She was greatly confused, but not scared yet, mostly she just wanted to figure out where she was. 

With no luck on finding an entrance or exit, the mouse child instead paused and listened, round, soft brown ears perked up to try and listen to the environment around her. Nothing was loud, but there were numerous faint, ambient noises. First one she noticed was a calm, rhythmic thumping, mostly in two thumps, then pause, then repeat, though the pauses in between were almost up to a minute. She frowned, she knew that from somewhere but what? The next sound she noticed was also rhythmic, but more like swooshing air. It almost sounded like air being sucked in something and then blown out, slowly. She still had the cloud of sleep over her, but she tried to put the pieces together and... Well, the only thing she could think of was a heartbeat and breathing, both of something very, very large, at least to her, but the heartbeat was still weirdly slow and faint and the breathing was occasionally missing rhythm, not that she knew exactly how all that should function so she just assumed it was normal. But was she... in a human's pocket? Well no, clothing was dry, soft yes, but not moist and slick like this. 

The prospect of a human so close by that she could hear it's heartbeat and breathing was a scary one though, humans were not often kind to her due to her mouse-like features, often deeming her kind as a rodent to be squished or something... The child whimpered then, suddenly less worried about where she was and more afraid of where the human was... The last thing she wanted to do was wake it, assuming it was sleeping. But humans were most active during the day and she went to bed around midnight. She liked sunny days but that was also the most dangerous, with humans everywhere... during the night, most humans were asleep so it was quite a bit safer, it was easier to get away from a cat or a big angry rat than a human. So her sleep cycle tended to be everywhere, anywhere between sleeping all night and sleeping all day, to bits here and there.

The child wasn't sure what to do, should she just stay still and quiet, hope maybe the human will wake up and leave before finding her, or should she try to escape this squishy chamber? Suddenly as she was trying to decide on her next plan of action, she heard the large thing take a deep breath, followed with a mumble that sounded like a man's voice. After the mumble, there was a content hum that almost seemed to rumble all around her... feeling the vibration in her bones. He was clearly waking up and she couldn't decide if that was good or bad. Soon her whole world began to tip though, the girl letting out a yelp as she slipped on the slimy surface, gravity causing her to slide down as something shifted outside. 

It was then did it dawn on her at last, she wasn't next to this human... She was inside of him! Likely within his stomach, since there really wasn't any other organ she could be inside of. But if she was in a stomach, how did she not wake up while he ate her? Though she fully expected the environment to become hostile as soon as possible since he was awake. She had met a lot of cruel humans who chased her out, tried to step on her, smack her with a broom and more, but never one that.... that actually wanted to eat her! Most humans thought she was a gross little rodent, why would they eat her? But this one did, in her sleep? She didn't understand but it was still scary. The poor dear whimpered to herself, fearing that any minute something bad will happen. However, suddenly her blood ran cold when the human spoke up. "Little miss, are you alright? " he was speaking to her, he had to be, but why was he? Why did he care if she was alright? 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Jonathan sat up, he glanced towards a window to see it was still daylight and he was tempted to just lay back down, but he heard that little yelp from his middle when he sat up... She was awake and he realized he would be quite cruel if he didn't say anything. Though the Ekon wasn't sure if she knew where she was or not, so he opted to not mention it and find out first. Instead, he asked to make sure she was alright and waited patiently for an answer, hoping she could speak and understand him. He wanted to sleep more since there wasn't much else he could do, but he didn't want to be mean and keep the wee one hostage just because he was tired and a vampire. 

The girl gulped nervously, unsure if she should answer him or not... Why was he asking? Was this some kind of cruel joke to him? But he sounded genuinely concerned and... if he didn't know she was inside of him and didn't hurt her then maybe he would let her out? Maybe he was a nice human that somehow accidentally ate her? Was that possible? All the ones she ever met were cruel brutes. Of course, the little one had no idea that she was technically being spoken to by a vampire and not a human, but he was a human not too long ago and still wished to retain his humanity, partly why he kept breathing despite not needing to. Eventually, she decided she should answer him, she could always refuse to answer any other questions he may have if she chose to. "Yes I'm... okay right now, I think. " She still wasn't sure if he understood what he did or not but she was doing her best not to freak out entirely and hope maybe she could just... ask to be let go and he will do it. 

The doctor, however, was glad to hear her little voice, a gentle smile on his lips as he rested a hand lightly over his middle. "That's good to hear. " He answered back, debating about what else he could ask to help break the ice, yet not upset her. However he did notice that something seemed off about her answer... perhaps she did know she was in his belly? If she did know he had some serious damage control to do. "What is your name, little one? " He found himself asking, as it often was the first thing people traded when first meeting. He hoped she had a name, surely she did and it was just the matter of if she was willing to tell him or not. And perhaps it will also answer if he should be comforting her or making more small talk.

She curled her thin, pink tail around herself when the man asked about her name, hands clenching the bow, why did he want to know? Should she answer him... ? She guessed there wasn't really any harm he could do with her name and maybe if she was lucky, he'd give his name in return so she had a name to this oddly gentle, rumbling voice. "My name is Laura... after my grandmother. " She answered, though her voice was quieter and after she spoke, she wondered if the human would even hear it. From her experience, the biggest weakness humans had were sense of smell and hearing, but vampires had excellent senses, enough to rival some of the keenest animals. Soon after that though she couldn't keep it in, not with being held in this dark, lukewarm belly and waiting for something bad to happen. "W-why... why did you eat me? " She asked, this time sounding as if she might cry at any moment. 

He heard her just fine, but noted the lower voice and perhaps... a hint of shyness? He wasn't sure, but he felt he should return the favor to be fair. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Laura, my name is Jonathan Reid or Dr. Reid. " Hopefully the girl, Laura didn't have anything against doctors or... vampires he later reminded himself, realizing that when the time came for him to release her, she would probably notice his sharp canines, though she may be too busy freaking out about the fact she'd been eaten and coughed back up, assuming she didn't already know.... He stiffened when she spoke up though, her voice now reflecting better on the fear and hopelessness the poor dear felt. So she figured it out and was understandably terrified. "Oh dear... That's not an easy question to answer. " He stated, not sounding mad if anything he was worried, concerned. "I'll tell you... but promise me that you'll understand, I won't hurt you Miss Laura, nor did I intend to and I'll release you after I finish explaining if you wish me to. " He asked after a moment's pause, unsure if this was the right course of action but lying just wasn't in his nature, especially to a little girl. 

The wee girl blinked, suddenly a sense of nervousness mixed with curiosity with the way he spoke. How could she possibly not be in danger in here? She was in his stomach for crying out loud! Where food goes to be digested. She really didn't want to be digested... Jonathan had been really weirdly kind thus far, most humans just tried to squish her for being a 'rodent' or 'pest', but he seemed to treat her like any other person, or child anyway. It was so strange and it only proved to confuse her, but since he was her only hope of getting out of his gut, she figured she better be nice to him. "I will try... just... please, I don't want to be food. " The girl replied in barely contained fear. He promised that if she heard him out that he would release her, so she really hoped that as long as she stayed true to her word, he would to his. 

Jonathan felt a pang of guilt to her plead, somehow she was still keeping her emotions in check despite fearing death, it was quite amazing but he had no time to be impressed, for he wanted to ease her fears instead before she broke down entirely. "Don't worry young one, I promise you're perfectly safe in there, if you were not I never would have sent you in there. " He assured her, though he would understand if she didn't believe him... basic biology made it impossible for a human to keep anything safe in their stomach, the only reason it was safe was that he was a creature that she likely didn't believe existed. He wondered if she'd believe her safety once he explained to her, but a promise was a promise, he said he would let her out if she still wanted to be once he was done explaining. "When I walked into this safehouse, I saw you asleep on the bed and I was originally going to leave you alone but... " He paused, unsure if he should mention his vampiric nature or not. "It was bright out, though I was tired, very tired. I didn't wish to make you sleep somewhere less comfortable, but I didn't want to accidentally hurt you either. " He explained, hoping that explaining his motives would help see his intent wasn't to make her into an early morning snack. 

His reasoning oddly made sense to her, so the bed wasn't his but he needed it. Laura was glad that he didn't just put her on the ground or something, but eating her? Was that really his solution? Or did something else happen? She wasn't sure why he stopped explaining. Was he just being extra careful and wary with her, despite having devoured her in her sleep somehow? "Well thank you... it's sweet of you to care about one of our kind, most humans don't. " She stated, partly kicking herself for not even noticing he was around but also surprised he had her comfort and safety in mind. She still didn't understand or entirely believe him, but she was trying to be patient and hoped that he really will let her go after. 

The Ekon assumed that humans were not nice to her, heck if he saw her on the streets he too may have, at first, thought she was a rat. Though there was a good chance she'd end up right where she was now, safe and sound if that happened, though it'd probably be much more terrifying for her as if this way wasn't bad enough. "You're welcome, I guess... Anyway, I decided that the best thing to do, at least at the time, was to put you somewhere just as soft or softer, so you wouldn't wake up or be uncomfortable. So I... swallowed you, you are currently in my second stomach, which is merely a storage organ. " He explained to her further, finally spilling the beans to what happened and now he had to wait, to see how she would take it. His belly was soft and squishy, yes, but it was still a stomach and he wasn't sure if Laura could look past that to see she was perfectly safe and sound, or to understand his intentions.

The news certainly left the little mouse girl stunned, he... ate her, whole and alive, intentionally? So that... she would have a comfortable place to sleep? She had hoped it was an accident or something but no, he did it on purpose. It was pretty frightening to realize that she was merely sleeping and some massive human came along and was able to devour her without waking her up. He must have been extremely gentle about it, it was the only way she could see that even being possible. "So... I'm i-in your tummy because... y-you wanted me to have a place to sleep? " Laura asked with a slight stutter, naturally being a little confused and still afraid as she hugged her knees to herself. Laura wasn't sure if she should believe him or not, but she wasn't tired anymore so, either way, she saw no reason to stay, especially in such a life-threatening way. 

Jonathan let out a small sigh when he heard the stutter, plus hearing his reasoning out loud also made him feel like an idiot, a pang of guilt shooting through him as he softly rubbed his middle. "Yes dear child, but don't fret too much, you are safe in there, as I said earlier. As I promised, however, you may request to come out and I will comply. " And then probably go back to sleep... for the Ekon couldn't do much else while it was daylight. By now he assumed it was obvious he wasn't human anymore, humans didn't have two stomachs after all, but then again did she know that? She probably had more important things on her mind than to know how many stomachs humans had. He'd understand if the wee child wished to come out though, it was a lot to expect for her not to ask and truth be told, he wouldn't mind, after all she was awake and if she was ready to join the rest of the living world then there was no reason to stay tucked away in a tired vampire's belly. Though... He would probably be concerned for her, since she seemed all alone and so young.

Laura perked up a little to the offer, she was both surprised and glad that he seemed willing to stay true to his promise but... she was conflicted now, she assumed it was morning since he woke up, not realizing that it was closer to noon. Being so young the girl often slept more than she was awake, early mornings were often good to scavenge stuff before all the humans wake up, yet it wasn't so scary like at night. The soft warmth of the stomach made her sleepy though, tempting her, though not in a malicious way, to stay warm and cozy in the soft tummy. It was hard not to just lay down and relax, to just be glad she didn't have to worry about being stepped on or something. The main thing that was stopping her was... she wasn't sure how it was possible for a stomach to be safe, he did mention he had two stomachs but that also seemed impossible. In the end, she felt it wasn't worth her life. "P-please Mister Jonathan... can I be let out? " She asked as politely as she could, using his name that he previously gave her and she somewhat forgot about. 

It didn't surprise the vampire when she asked to be released, though he felt a growing sense of concern about how she will fair in the outside world alone, as he had no idea how long she's been by herself. But he was not her parent and he wasn't going to put her in forced protection lockdown, especially after promising twice that he would release her. "As you wish, dear child. " He answered nicely, tempted to offer that she could come back if she changed her mind, but something told him that was not likely. The next thing he had to worry about now was her finding out he was a vampire, then again he doubted she would tell anyone, but still... He scared the poor dear so much already, he didn't want to make it worse. But he didn't see what other option he had. After that he closed his eyes and focused on his insides, to begin the process of releasing her without hurting her. 

The girl felt her heart soar, she was going to be let out! The kind man kept his promise, despite eating her in the first place. She will be quite glad to see the light of day again, to no longer have to worry to when this stomach may snap out of whatever daze it was in to start harming her. She believed that he had good intentions, it was proven by the fact he was sticking to his promise as if he truly had malicious intent he wouldn't be letting her go. Soon the stomach walls began to close in on her, starting from the bottom of his stomach and working upwards to push her up towards the entrance. At first, the ring of muscle didn't want to give and her heart skipped a beat, hoping she wasn't about to get crushed, but thankfully the muscles soon relaxed just enough to let her slip back into his esophagus. The muscles were strong, with how they gently squeezed her from all sides. it didn't hurt but it was certainly engulfing. Laura kept as calm and still as she could, letting the muscles ripple and knead her closer to freedom. 

Finally at last, she eased into his mouth, at least she suspects it was his mouth as things flattened out and she was no longer being gently squeezed from all sides. Instead, she felt as if she was resting belly first on his tongue. She was so close to leaving his innards, just behind a gate of teeth, but she was patient and just waited for him to open up. Her patience paid off as it didn't take long, however... Watching his teeth part and seeing light flood inside, she noticed a glaring.... difference, between him and a human, namely his teeth. His upper and lower jaw both were armed with a pair of the largest, sharpest fangs she ever saw, sure cats had pretty scary teeth but the size was still much smaller than this... It then dawned on her, he was a vampire, that was why he was able to keep her in his stomach without digesting her because he wasn't human anymore. "Oh my god... " She muttered in horror to herself. 

Jonathan did his best to be as gentle and careful as he could, far as he knew it paid off in that she wasn't harmed. She didn't say anything or make any distressed sounds, so he figured everything was okay, at least on a physical level. He knew there was no missing his fangs, so she likely saw them and.... well, since she was not human, it made sense that she probably heard of other things that were also not human. What her opinion was on vampires he had no clue, at least until he heard her soft, horrified response to seeing them. There was a pang of hurt in his heart as he lifted his tongue over his bottom teeth, holding his palm down in front of him before he gently tipped his head down, letting her softly slide off his tongue and onto his hand. He wouldn't be surprised if the little one wanted nothing to do with a monster, especially since he wouldn't be surprised if other Ekon captured her kind as some kind of delicacy. Once out of his jaws he sat more upright, looking at the poor slime covered girl with an apologetic look. 

She was too stunned to really react to her sliding off his tongue and into the soft, smooth yet barely warm hand. She had been held by humans before and their grip was always quite warm, though she had to admit this was the nicest way she's ever been held, as usually it was in a crushing fist or dangling by her tail. But the poor dear heard so many terrible stories of vampires, plus... a personal loss from one, so she saw how cruel and heartless they could be first hand. Laura looked up at him with nothing but fear in her eyes, forgetting at the time how kind he was and the fact he let her out of his belly, despite putting her there in the first place. "Y-you.... You-re a vampire... aren't you? " She asked him, though the answer was obvious and there was no point in lying. Looking at his face was both scary yet mildly confusing, he actually looked oddly nice, with a somewhat large nose, full black beard, and pale blue-green eyes. 

The doctor sighed, not answering right away but mostly because he didn't see the need. "Yes Miss Laura, I am. " He answered, sounding ashamed for what he was and it was true, he was ashamed, but there was nothing he could do about it as much as he wanted to. At this point, he lowered his hand closer to his blanket covered lap, mostly so she could jump down and scurry off, as she no doubt wanted to do. He couldn't blame her, a vampire was a dangerous and often cold creature, after his visit to the Ascalon Club, a secret group of all male vampires, he had no doubt all of those Ekon would kill her in a flash, or worse, manipulate her and tease her before killing her. He was not like that, but she had no way of knowing it. 

As kind and gentle as he seemed, when he confirmed to being what she feared, she couldn't help it... There wasn't much else she feared more than a vampire. Her only thoughts now were to get away and seeing as he lowered her down, she was able to jump safely to his knee, so she did. With one last frightful look, the little one turned and leaped, landing with a light thud on his knee before scurrying to the foot of the bed, grabbing one of the bed frame posts and scaling down it using the cracks and uneven surfaces to get down to the floor. She ran as fast as she could then, on two legs to the door of the safe house, where a small gap of light was pouring in, no doubt the gap she used to get inside. Once at the door, however, she paused.... There was a strange, tight feeling in her chest and she looked back, to see the vampire did not even get out of bed. in fact he didn't look like he moved at all. She watched him for a moment longer, just in time to see him lie back down, pulling the covers over himself. She felt a little bad now, guilty... that must be what the feeling was. But no, she couldn't look past his vampiric nature, she couldn't trust him... Not after what one did to her family. 

Laura squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head before she slipped through the gap of the door, heading outside into the wide open world. It was brighter out then she thought... making her realize it was actually later than she assumed. It must have been closer to noon, which means all the humans were awake and... she must have been in that vampire's belly for a while, given he couldn't be in sunlight. She glanced back at the gap and sighed, before she carefully made her way down off the balcony, namely by climbing down the polls supporting it. The wood was not comfortable on her hands, having to be mindful to keep from touching the splintered area, but soon she got down with a light plop onto the cobblestone floor. She heard footsteps right after she landed and looked over, just in time to see a human walking towards her, well they didn't see her but they were coming closer. With a soft gasp, she slipped behind the balcony support, pressing her back against the wood as her tail curled around herself nervously. It sounded like a man as she heard him mumble something under his breath, sounding angry. 

Thankfully he kept going and she sighed in relief, deciding that she wanted to check up on her makeshift little home. She knew she had some stale old bread in there but she wanted more than that, plus it might be moldy by now with all this darn rain. Laura kept to the shadows and the edges of the alleyways, hiding among debris and random junk, doing her best not to disturb a few large rats that were sleeping among the larger piles. She paused to see two up ahead, fairly close to each other, sleeping. It was the last two she had to get by, for now, so she took a deep breath to prepare herself and steel her nerves. 

Laura slowly stepped over one's tail, but she didn't notice there was actually a third rat, that her leg ended up brushing against the nose of. Vicious eyes flew open, glaring at the girl before the animal snarled, threatening to attack if she didn't get out, fast. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you! I-I'll just go okay? I'm going see? " She said to the animal as she backed away, but being a rat it didn't understand or answer, it just snarled, tail whipping back and forth aggressively. Thankfully being daylight meant it was tired and afraid of people too, so it didn't give chase once she turned and ran. Her little heart pounded in her chest as she scolded herself to be more careful. Being clumsy was dangerous when she was just a wee little thing, a pest to most or worse... a snack. 

Once she felt she was far enough away from the rat, she stopped running and paused, breathing heavily from the close call and run. She was hungry at this point and really wouldn't mind even some stale old bread as long as it won't make her sick. A soft sigh escaped her as she walked along, passing by two humans talking about probably something shady or possibly illegal, not that it was any of her business or anything she could stop. Instead, she just ignored it and focused on something more important... Judging from memory, she suspected she wasn't far from her home, maybe around 20 minutes more of walking or less if she had to run again. Thankfully the walk back was uneventful though, as long as she was careful and quiet, not disturbing any other dangerous animal or what not. 

Finally Laura spotted the box her home was under and smiled, feeling her heart soar that she made it. One good thing about the middle of the day is at least, while a lot of humans were awake, not as many were in back alleyways. She sped walked to the entrance and slipped inside, a smile on her face as she was happy to be in the safety of her home, despite it just being a cardboard box with some furnishings to her size. However, once inside she froze... seeing a figure next to her cupboard. "Ugh, this bread is gross... " It was a woman, one of her kind but an adult. Maybe she was nice? "Excuse me, lady? Can I help you? " She asked, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. 

The mouse woman turned to look at the child who spoke to her, ears flattening against her head with a scowl. "What do you want pipsqueak? This is my place. " She said, putting her hands on her hips. Laura blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "No it's not, this is my home, or... it was my parents, but... They're gone so it's mine? " She answered back, not understanding the situation. The woman let out an amused laugh, shaking her head. "It WAS yours maybe, it's mine now though, I found it last night and I'm not leaving. You got gross bread in the cupboard but the rest is nice. " She said as she strolled towards the larger bed, plopping down on it with a content sigh. 

The child didn't understand... who was this woman and why did she think she owned this place now? Sure she was unable to get back home last night since she was so tired and had to crash at that safehouse before she made a fatal mistake, but still... "How... how is it yours? " She asked, taking a step closer, looking confused and hurt. This was her home! She can't just... take it from her, can she? "Wow you really don't get how the world works do you? " The lady mocked, crossing her legs on the bed. "Survival of the fittest kiddo and I'm more fit than you, or well... I'm bigger than you. So all of this is mine now and you can't do anything about it. " She simply explained, giving a heartless smirk to the little girl. "B-but... " She tried to come up with something to say, but she was right... There wasn't anything Laura could do if the woman was going to take her home. "But what? Why don't you go bother somebody else, like that vampire who came through here last night? " She shot back casually, but Laura gasped, a vampire came through here? She wondered... was it Jonathan? "A vampire? What... what did he look like? "

The woman looked at her like she was crazy. "You do realize a vampire will probably just... you know, eat you? It's kinda what the bloodsuckers do. You can count that as free advice because I'm not entirely heartless. " Laura sighed though, of course, she knew that, it was why she ran away from Jonathan... "I know I... just humor me? Please? " She asked, mostly just wanting to know if it was him or if there were other vampires in this area too. The woman sighed, looking irritated but not angry yet. "The bloke was tall, wearing this long grey coat, black hair, and a beard. It's strange how his eyes were not red yet... Most vampires I've seen have red eyes, but I saw his fangs, there was no mistaking it, he was a vampire. He found this little house of yours-now mine, poked around a bit and then put the box back on, then poof, he left. I guess he didn't find anything to eat in here because I was smart enough to get out of here before he got too close. " She explained, waving her hands a little casually. "Now are you gonna go bother him now and leave be me? If you're lucky maybe he will decide you're too small to be worth eating. " She stated, still sounding annoyed.

Laura gulped nervously though, knowing that was Jonathan and... he certainly already deemed her worth devouring. But... he let her go, that didn't seem normal. "Do vampires ever let their... um... " She paused, unsure how she should word it best. The woman rubbed her forehead though, clearly wanting the child gone but still humoring her for now. "Prey? " The woman finished, though she wasn't quite sure if that's what Laura meant. The child didn't like the word, but it was accurate. "Uhm… yes, like... if say, a vampire... swallowed their p-prey, would they let them go if they ask? " Saying it out loud made the question sound more silly than she imagined and of course, it prompted her home thief to burst into laughter. 

The child sighed, if it wasn't for the fact this woman seemed to know some stuff about vampires, she wouldn't bother. "Ohh wow that's rich~ You are adorable to a pitiful degree. To answer the question, no, a vampire only wants your blood, so they'd never swallow you whole and they certainly wouldn't let you go. Kinda defeats the whole purpose... " She explained, her tone condescending and cruel, but she was right of course... It made no sense for what Jonathan did, unless... unless he really could keep her safe and that's all he wanted to do. Laura felt guilty now, more than ever... The girl had this strange desire to go back to him now, he didn't snarl or mock or otherwise be mean to her, he was scary, yes but he didn't do anything wrong... He didn't take her home away from her or anything mean like that. "Thank you, lady. " She simply said, before she turned and walked out of her now lost home. It broke her heart to leave it behind, but she didn't have a choice anymore. "Wait where are you going, pipsqueak? " The lady called out to her, likely morbid curiosity. 

Laura paused to look back, from the doorway, or well... door shaped cutout on the side of the box. "I'm going to return to Mister Jonathan. " She answered before she turned and speed walked out the door. The woman got out of the bed though and ran to the cutout, watching the child. "Who's Jonathan!? " She called out, confused and oddly curious, not enough to follow but enough to ask. "The vampire! " The now distant child's voice called back, before she turned down an alleyway and could no longer be seen, or likely heard. Why would the girl want to go to a vampire was beyond her, but the lady figured it wasn't going to end well, not that it was really her problem anymore.


	2. To wake a vampire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo part 2! As promised here is chapter 3 of this little story, this time with Geoffrey making an appearance, I know how much some of you love the Irish hobo hunter and I had fun writing him. Also, more Jonafluff, yay!

As Laura ran, she noted that she was still pretty hungry... She should probably find something before she bothered the vampire again. She didn't want to wait too long though, if it got dark and he left that safe house, she may never see him again. She had to slow down as she began to get tired, plus she didn't want to disturb any rats in the area. So she slowed to a careful walk, watching her every step as her thoughts swirled in her mind. What was she going to do once she got back to him... ? Apologize for running away, first off, but then what? She thought back to when she first woke up inside of him... the darkness was scary but before she figured out she was in a stomach, she found comfort in the place, she oddly felt... safe. She lost her home now so, at this point, the little one was without a safe place to rest. Perhaps if she asked politely, he would swallow her again... if that's what she wanted. 

She wasn't entirely sure, it seemed insane to ask to be swallowed whole, but... She also wouldn't have to worry about waking up a pack of angry rats, or be torn apart by a stray cat... or crushed by a freaked out human. The only thing she had to worry about was staying on the vampire's good side, so he wouldn't mind keeping her safe and tucked away. The little one hoped he wasn't angry at her for running away... she was just so afraid, Laura prayed that he would understand and forgive her. 

Up ahead the two humans that were talking before were now fighting, causing her to snap out of her thoughts and freeze in place... That was dangerous to walk by, perhaps she should go back and down another alleyway? Soon one of the humans punched the other hard enough to knock him down and crash into some trash, maybe now was her chance to scurry by if she went now. 

It was risky but so was turning around and going down an unfamiliar alleyway, so with a deep breath and already tired legs, she broke out into a sprint to go around behind the still standing human. However, as she got closer, the standing human spotted her, but.... No, perhaps it was the trick of the light? Surely she wasn't unlucky enough to happen across two vampires in one day. Either way, she could have sworn the man instead had red, unnatural eyes. Jonathan didn't have red eyes... But the lady said he should have, or at least most vampires did. "What's this? " She heard him say as she froze in place, stunned for a moment. It was daylight though, vampires can't be out during the day... right? She looked around quickly, realizing that they were pretty shaded here, was simply shade enough? The malicious, fanged grin on the man's face told her it was very possible and she better get moving again. 

"Leave me alone! " Laura yelled out as she darted around his feet, it looked like she was going to have to skip finding something to eat and go straight to Jonathan, with a hungry vampire possibly after her it was her only chance of getting away from him for good. As she kept running though, she didn't realize the vampire vanished in a puff of smoke from behind her, though she found out when he appeared in front of her in the same fashion a few seconds later. "Not so fast, I just want a little taste~. " He said in a cruel voice, that dark grin still plastered on him. There was no time to stare though as she stumbled on her run, quickly, though not gracefully, making a sharp turn to narrowly miss hitting his foot. 

She didn't bother speaking or anything this time, her only goal was to run and keep running until she saw the balcony support. She was so tired already, tired and hungry, cursing herself for wasting precious energy before when she didn't have to. Tears stung in her eyes at the thought of being caught by a dangerous vampire just in time of her trying to get back to a gentle one, it would have been a cruel turn of fate. Looking ahead she finally saw the support beam, but it was still quite a ways away and her legs were burning up, she could feel the footsteps of her pursuer getting closer, clicking louder, sending more severe vibrations under her own feet and the awful part was he was probably just toying with her, giving her a sense of hope to escape before he crushed them.

As she started to slow down, she knew it was over as the monster appeared in front of her again in that same puff of smoke, smug look and all as he began to reach down to pick her up. However, just as her life was flashing before her eyes, another voice came booming from up ahead. "Hey, leech! " It sounded like yet another man, then there was a click, before what sounded like a crossbow fired off a bolt. Sure enough, the vampire snarled after being hit by something, before he turned around to face whoever shot him, thankfully before he even touched Laura. The child's heart hammered in her chest, far more than it did when she found out she was eaten. She thought she was dead for sure, but this stranger showed up and he didn't seem to like vampires. "Ahh, the Priwen Guard... figures one of you would ruin my hunt. " She heard him say, not sounding pleased at all. She wanted to run, but her legs felt like they would break if she tried to run anymore. She collapsed on the cobblestone instead, almost heaving from so much running, her chest hurt and her breaths were ragged. "We're going to ruin a lot more than that, leech. " The man said, before making a gesture, causing four other men to appear with various weapons. One had a cross on a long pole, the other had what looked to be a flamethrower, two others had large crossbows, tips aflame.

The vampire took a step back, narrowly missing Laura, with one foot in front of her and the other behind her while she cowered and curled her tail around herself. The vampire snarled again, not sounding happy at all before he was forced to turn and flee, obviously knowing he was outmatched. After he was far enough away for her comfort, she felt brave enough to move. So she slowly stood up shakily and attempted to walk to the side, to hide in some discarded papers before the humans saw her, but she was going pretty slow. "Men, go ahead and continue checking the other alleyways, I'll check down here and meet back with you. " The man with the small crossbow on his arm told the others, appearing to be the leader. They nodded without a word and walked away, the man watching them to make sure they did as he told. 

After that, the strange man focused on the little tired creature that was trying to walk out of his sight, but he had sharper eyes than that, even if he wasn't a vampire. His strides towards her were long, easily reaching her before she made it to the discarded papers. He wasted no time as he bent down and lowered one hand, easily snatching her up in a firm, but not entirely harsh grip. It was far from gentle though, not like how Jonathan held her like a precious delicate thing. Unlike Jonathan though, this strange man's hand was almost unbearably warm in comparison, proving he wasn't a vampire and Laura wasn't sure if she should be glad or more frightened. 

"What in the world are you? " He asked in confusion, sounding just as.... hostile towards her as he did towards his men and the vampire, was it just how he sounded or maybe he was having a bad day? His fist kept her in a pretty restricted position, probably his intention. She squeaked a little as she tried to wiggle, to give herself room to breathe, but in response, he only tightened his grip, not by much but a little, enough for her to notice. "Gah! P-please Mister, I... I c-can't breathe very w-well... You-you're squeezing me too m-much! " The child grunted out in clear distress, hoping the human would take pity and at least loosen his grip a little so she didn't have to struggle so much to breathe. 

A look of confusion crossed his sharp, gruff features before he relaxed his grip a little, her request to breathe seemed to work. "Sorry... " He muttered, seeming to have not meant to cause her pain, clearly he didn't quite know his own strength or something. She was quick to take a deep breath after that, her lungs still burning from exhaustion but it was getting a little better. "T-thank you. " She answered back, now taking slow, deep breaths for a few moments. "I'm... I'm not sure what our people are c-called.... I'm sorry sir. " She wished she had a name for her folks, but either no one told her or there wasn't one, to begin with. 

The man frowned, not that he looked all too happy before. "Call me Geoffrey. " He asked, it didn't sound like a demand but it was a request as he stood up to his full height, deep blue eyes focusing on her mouse-like ears and tail that nervously curled around one of his fingers. "I thought you were a rodent, but I can see now why the leech was after you. " There was a short hum after he spoke like he thought of something else, maybe something important? "Why are you not with your folks? Correct me if I am wrong but you don't seem like an adult. " He sort of deadpanned, his words being none too gentle or comforting, as it merely just reminded her of when she lost her family and her family home just a little while ago. 

Laura swallowed nervously, nodding to his request to call him Geoffrey, though her polite nature will probably end up calling him Mister Geoffrey. "Okay... sorry... A-and it's because I don't have a-any parents anymore... " She explained while doing her best to keep her emotions in check. She doubted this man wanted to deal with a tiny crying child after all, even if he was doing his best to push her emotional buttons. There was a faint flash of pity in his eyes though, but also his own pain, did... did he lose his parents to a vampire too? She supposed it may explain why he seemed to not like them, given the way he addressed that one and proceeded to shoot it without warning. 

"I'm sorry for your loss, lass. Is there somewhere you'd like to go? A home somewhere or something? " He asked, oddly sounding like he was willing to lend her a hand. She certainly wouldn't mind help, with as tired as she was... She wasn't sure if she could climb up on the balcony again without help. If this man hunted vampires though, she probably shouldn't tell him anything about Jonathan... She'd feel terrible if she got the kind Ekon hurt. Still, instinct caused her to glance at the balcony and Geoffrey seemed to notice, following her gaze by turning his neck. "You want to go up there? " He asked since she didn't give a proper answer yet and he didn't seem to be an overly patient man. However, before she could open her mouth to confirm, a louder voice cut her off. "Hey boss, we can't find the vampire that was here but we saw some others two alleyways down from here. " It was his men, they returned already!

Geoffrey glared in their direction, before he lifted the girl up to his neck, tucking her into the fold of his faded red scarf. She squeaked in surprise but latched onto the fabric, though while she expected to fall out she noticed the fold instead acted kinda like an enclosed hammock, as long as she didn't try to move to a different part and mess up the fold she was being held by, or the fold that laid over top of her. It was a little surreal as she was sort of in a cocoon in that she couldn't see out, feeling the warmth radiating off Geoffrey's neck but she didn't dare move. Instead, she felt him turn around fully to face the others. "I told you I would meet back up with you, but good work, men, give me a few moments here to check around for that leech, then we'll take those others out, perhaps herd them into the sunlight if there's too many." He said. 

It was a dumb excuse but he wasn't really good at lying. He just hoped they would give him those few precious moments to help the wee child. Obviously, Geoffrey didn't want to bring the girl to a vampire hunt, so his best bet was to get her on that balcony and hoped she could do the rest. Of course, the vampire hunter was deathly curious about her, but he was not a cruel mad scientist, he was just a man with bitter hate for bloodsuckers. Perhaps if Edgar would still speak to him after he barged into his hospital, he could ask if the man had ever heard of such a tiny person with mouse parts. He tried to keep his cool with his men, as it would be unreasonable to get angry at them for something he normally would have been proud of them for doing. The men looked at each other, obviously a little confused but knew better than to argue with the often raging bull that Geoffrey McCullum could be. They nodded silently then and turned around, walking back to where they came from. 

Laura was oddly comfortable here in the little enclosed scarf hammock, though there was the lingering worry of falling out and she didn't want to go on a vampire hunt either, she wanted to apologize to Jonathan and ask him for a favor if he wasn't angry at her. She perked up to hear the vampire hunter sigh in relief once they left, before he reached into his scarf to gently retrieve the child again. Strong fingers plucked her out but he tried to not squeeze too hard this time, realizing that the first time he was a little brutal for such a tiny girl. She did tense up, almost expecting to be hurt again, but it seemed this time he was better. His fingers slipped under her arms to lift her up, which was a little weird but she didn't complain, instead she watched as he softly laid her on the palm of his other hand. "Thank you... Mister Geoffrey " She said again, glad to not be so confined and restricted in a fist. It wasn't like she was going to jump down from this high up, she was way too tired for that, plus besides being a little scary he didn't seem dangerous oddly enough... a human that didn't want to squish her or anything, that was weird... today in general was a weird day. 

The man smiled a little, something he didn't appear to do often given the frown lines on his forehead and how awkward the smile looked. "Ahem, anyway... Is it up there you wanted to go? My men likely won't give me much more time. " He explained, expressing his concern of her being found by too many people. She quickly nodded in response, not willing to risk trying to get there herself and hoped he wouldn't want to go inside and see Jonathan sleeping, he might hurt the Ekon. "Yes j-just... help me up on the balcony, please? " She explained, hoping he'd be tall enough or maybe he could stand on something?

Geoffrey looked up at the balcony before he walked up to it to see how short he was, looking to be around a foot with his arm stretched upwards. With a deep, thinking hum he looked around before spotting a wooden crate not far from it. With one hand he grabbed the edge and dragged it over to the balcony. He then paused to hold her close to his chest, to keep from dropping her, before he stepped up onto it. It wobbled a little but he managed to keep his balance enough to feel comfortable pulling her away from his torso. "Okay, I should be able to get you close enough that a short jump will get you there. But if you don't feel like you can make it, just let me know. " He explained before he stretched out his arm and lifted her up to the balcony, only a few inches away from the edge. 

Laura gulped and looked back to him, then to the edge. "I think I can make it... thank you very much, Mister Geoffrey. " She said sweetly, taking a moment to wrap her little arms around his thumb, the only hug she could really give him. She couldn't help but be thankful for his kindness and wiliness to help, sure he did squeeze her a little too much when he first grabbed her but it seemed to be an accident. The man probably wasn't used to having to be gentle with anything. 

The hug surprised Geoffrey, but it earned another smile from the vampire hunter, though hesitant and unsure, he couldn't deny the strange, fuzzy feeling he felt in his chest. "You're welcome, lass... now go, before they come back, or any leeches come around. " He ushered, though not meanly, for her to jump. Gushy stuff wasn't really something he was used to dealing with so his only response was to move this along.

She nodded to him with a deep breath, before she bent her legs a few times to test them, they still felt tired and weak, but it was not a far jump. So she took a few steps back towards his wrist, before taking a running leap off his fingertips. It was closer than she'd like, but her legs just barely caught the ledge and she ended up landing on her hands and knees as her legs gave out under her as soon as she landed. "Hmph!" She slowly stood up and brushed herself off, before looking back down to Geoffrey, giving him a thumbs up. 

He was glad she made it and stepped down from the crate, kicking it away before his demeanor changed. Geoffrey was glad to help the tiny child, but he couldn't loiter around, for he had some vampires to hunt with his crew.

She watched him speed walk away and waited until he was out of sight, before letting out a huge sigh of relief. She felt extremely lucky to pull that off, to be caught by a human and not be hurt, but on top of it all, to be saved from the mean vampire and helped closer to the nice one. She wasn't sure where she got this stroke of luck, but she was so tired, she wanted nothing more than a warm, soft place to curl up in for a while and she knew where to get it... She just had to climb up that bed again, then she'd be done. Laura walked to the gap in the door and carefully slipped between the wood before she looked to the bed. A lump under the covers was still there, a Jonathan sized lump, good... He was still here, seeming to be asleep. 

The girl walked carefully up to the bed as if she was expecting him to jump alive at any minute... But nothing happened. Though at the back of her mind there was this nagging voice, saying 'he's a vampire! you almost got killed by one earlier! Get away!'. She shoved it aside, however, and steeled her nerves; Jonathan was not a dangerous vampire, she told herself. She then grabbed the edge of the blanket that was hanging down into her reach and carefully began to climb the fabric up. It took some effort, more than she remembered, the sheets proving to be a little rougher on her hands and feet than they appeared as well, but eventually, she got to the top, not far from his kneecaps if he wasn't all covered up. Laura was able to see his face a little now, his beard brushing against the edge of the blanket while both hands were holding it up, close to his face. He was laying on his side as well, which was good... She didn't want to have to climb on top of him to wake him up. 

He looked quite peaceful, though minorly troubled, was it how she left him or something else? If he was a doctor as he said then she supposed that the epidemic could be pretty stressful on him and she probably didn't help matters. But she was back now to hopefully make that part right anyway, she couldn't stop any epidemic but perhaps she can make him feel a little better. The bed was pretty firm so it wasn't hard to walk across, making her way to his face. His eyes were still closed and she thought back on how she remembered them... They were pale, pale blue? pale green? She couldn't quite remember but she knew it wasn't red or anything scary like that. If she had any emotion to tie to what she remembered his eyes looking, it would be... sad. 

The child reached out slowly to place a hand on the tip of his Roman nose, noticing the small scar across the bridge with a curious frown, she wondered where he got that... Maybe she could ask, but first, she had to wake the slumbering vampire. "Mister Jonathan? Mister Jonathan? Can you wake up? " She asked him, not wanting to sound demanding or rude, especially if he was tired. Her voice didn't earn a response, but she did speak softly and he looked pretty deeply asleep, so she tried a new tactic, gently pushing on the tip of his nose while repeating the words again, this time in a louder tone. 

It didn't work right away, but just as she was going to give up and leave him be, he took a deep breath and shifted his hands, then his jaws parted wide before her in a sleepy yawn. His four clean, sharp fangs were on full display for a moment. But thankfully for the poor dear's heart, it didn't last long before he closed his mouth again, mumbling something under his breath. "Mister Jonathan? " She asked again, hoping he won't just go back to sleep because his eyes haven't opened yet. There was a more confused mumble this time, it almost sounding something like 'I thought you were gone' but she wasn't quite sure. "I'm here, I... came back, to apologize to y-you. " She said, that voice in her head coming back to remind her that he may be upset, or worse, angry and an angry vampire was always dangerous, no matter what. 

Finally, Jonathan's eyes opened, showing they looked like they were green with a faint blue edge to them, pale in color as she remembered. "Miss Laura... ? " He asked in disbelief, slowly shifting to prop himself up on his elbow. She took a shy step back, but she didn't want to fall off the bed. "Y-yes it's me... I'm... I'm sorry I ran away f-from you, I was so scared that... " She stopped as her voice broke, tears building up and threatening to spill. The vampire frowned, though it wasn't an angry one, more concerned. "Shhh Miss Laura, it's okay, please don't cry. " He whispered softly, using his free hand to gently pet her back. 

Jonathan was not expecting her to come back, especially so soon, but he wasn't going to complain either and the last thing he wanted was the poor dear to cry over it. She was only acting in self-defense, vampires were frightening... people? He'll go with people for now but wanted to think creature. Either way, he could not blame her for being frightened and wanting to run away, not to say it didn't hurt, because it did hurt... But he had to accept the fact that he was a monster in most people's eyes. But she came back... he wondered what could have happened that made her come back, whatever it was it must have been pretty bad.

Laura couldn't help but lean into his gentle touch, it wasn't as warm as Geoffrey's hand but at least she knew he only seemed to have one level of pressure, at least with her, and it was gentle, soft and delicate. His voice matched his touch and it helped silence the nagging voice in her mind still trying to get her to think more instinctually. She nodded shakily and wiped her eyes, glad that he wasn't mad and tried to gather her emotions instead. "S-sorry.... but t-thank you, I hope y-you don't mind that I w-woke you up. " She admitted, blinking as his hand stopped petting her and instead just cupped behind her, giving her something to lean against that was mostly stable. 

Jonathan shook his head slowly, giving her a friendly, close-lipped smile. "Not at all, but... what brings you back here? To me? " He asked, surely it wasn't just to apologize right? Not that he minded either way, but it seemed like a dangerous feat just to say sorry for reacting as most rational people would. There wasn't much he could do for her in this daylight, though at this point it was closer to early evening so it wouldn't be too much longer. She was more than welcome to stay around until it was night time, though he'd suggest not in bed with him as he could still squish her in his sleep. 

Of course, she did come for something else, but she did want to apologize too, it wasn't for selfish reasons only. "I angered a rat by waking it u-up and... I lost my home to one of my people... She wasn't very nice but she did tell me about you..." Or well, his kind anyway, but she did mention him specifically too. "Also I... I met another v-vampire... He wasn't like you... He wanted to... Eat me, like... W-with his teeth! " She explained, unsure how to word the difference exactly but she whimpered to the memory of being chased and taunted, the difference was obvious in her mind she just struggled to find the words. 

Jon blinked, worry in his eyes soon after, how did she escape a vampire? His kind were so quick with unavoidable tracking skills... He was able to see a living being's cardiovascular system through solid objects, how could she escape that? "How did you get away? " He asked, mulling over how she could have gotten so lucky. Perhaps... she found a cross and pointed it at the vampire? That was quite a bother to his kind. Losing her home was also quite disappointing to hear, assuming this meant she had no parents for sure if an adult mouse person could just come by and claim her home as theirs. He could scare her off but she could just come back once he left, or more would come and do it. It was a short term solution and she needed a long term one. 

She took a deep breath, Laura suspected he may not like this next part, but she wasn't about to lie to him. "A... vampire hunter shot him with a crossbow... He ran away once he saw the hunter had friends. I... tried to get away but the man with the crossbow on his arm caught me... He was a little rough but he did help me back up on the balcony, which is nicer than most humans. I-I didn't tell him about you though of course! I... wasn't sure if he'd hurt you. " She explained, hoping to ease any worries he had of having a hunter after him. 

Jonathan sighed, as he knew who it was... Not many people ran around with a little crossbow on their arm, in fact, he knew of only one. "Thank you, I am not sure either... Did he say his name was Geoffrey? Geoffrey McCullum? " He asked, just to confirm, not that it mattered a whole lot. He had a good feeling the man had too much honor and class to shoot him in his sleep, but he was better safe rather than sorry with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his back. 

Laura perked up, Jonathan knew this vampire hunter? Hopefully, it meant they were friends? Though the way he said he wasn't sure about Geoffrey hurting him told her that they likely were not friends... Maybe frenemies? "Yes that was his name, well the Geoffrey part, I am not sure of the McCullum part... but he didn't give any last name. " Still, chances were quite high it was the same man, at least the child thought so. 

Suddenly there was a light thud outside, both the vampire and the girl looked in the direction it came from, eyes wide, mouse ears perked. The sound came from the window, but nothing else really happened... With a frown, Jonathan focused his senses and spotted... what looked to be a bird. "Just a dove. " He assured, relaxing back in the bed, not that he moved that much from his previous position. A dove was probably harmless to Laura, but it reminded her of the final thing she wished to speak to him about, something important and... scary. "Good... " She muttered, before turning to focus her gaze on his again. 

"Anyway uhm…. All that... scary stuff reminded me of something I f-felt earlier, even when I was a-afraid... " She swallowed nervously, finding herself struggling to bring the words out and she wasn't entirely sure why. "E-even after I realized w-what... what you did, I... still felt... safe, in a sense? Despite every instinct telling m-me that it's impossible. " It felt weirder speaking her thoughts out loud, but she did not see judgment or confusion in the vampire's eyes, instead he was merely curious and almost... understanding in a sense. 

Of course to Jonathan, what she was saying made perfect sense to him. It was safe, the safest place he could think of putting her, it was partly why he did just that. He did not know a lot about emotions, as he wasn't that kind of doctor, but he did know that it was only natural for a young, almost helpless child to feel safe in a warm, soft and enclosed environment, especially after experiencing trauma and close calls. "It's okay Miss Laura, it is perfectly understandable for you to feel safe and I actually hoped it would. But... why do you bring it up now? " He asked, one thing he was unsure about is where this was going. He let her go and wasn't going to eat her again, unless... 

A nervous giggle escaped the girl as he asked why she was bringing this up again. "Because.... I was... I realize that you would have hurt me already if you actually wanted to... So... Your stomach, or wherever you were keeping me, is safe and I was wrong. " She was able to calm her nerves enough to limit the stuttering this time, clenching her little hands into fists for this next part, wanting to close her eyes as her mind morbidly expected him to snap her up as soon as she said this but... "I... I'm tired mister Jonathan, I have no home anymore, no friends or family, I.... need somewhere safe to stay, with someone who I now know won't hurt me. So I... am asking if you'd let me stay in your... belly again? " She finally was able to say it, while also able to keep her eyes open as she looked at him pleadingly, hoping he wouldn't say no. He could understand why he might not want to, but she hoped he would, the child would feel much calmer and safer, especially since there wasn't really any other place she could stay now with any sort of confidence. Even her house wasn't that safe if a vampire could just come by and flip the box off. However... a vampire was like the ultimate boogeyman to her kind, so to her, the safest place would be inside of one. 

Little did she know just how true that was, with Jonathan being not just a vampire, but an Ekon from a powerful bloodline. Only perhaps a Nimrod would be stronger, but there was so little known about them or even if they were real at all, it was hard enough to find a vampire that wouldn't harm the child, much less a breed with no known members. The request caught Jonathan a little off guard... She wanted him to eat her again? After all, he would have to swallow her again to send her to his stomach, or well... his second stomach anyway. But would Laura be ready for something like that? Last time she was asleep and did not have to truly witness the process of being swallowed alive, granted he was quite gentle about it but still. There was also another thing bothering him, possibly something more important than that. "Surely you don't wish to stay within me forever... What will you do to get yourself a new, true home? " The vampire asked, showing his genuine concern for the girl and not just his appetite. 

Laura had expected to be scooped up into his mouth after that, but instead, the doctor asked her questions, more questions. Frankly she didn't think that far ahead, she was just desperate for security and safe company, But he did bring up a good point, she probably wouldn't want to stay in his belly forever, plus it was unlikely in her mind that Jonathan would want to take care of her for very long either, not because he was mean but simply because it was a lot to ask. "I... I don't know, I guess I will go look for the colony... It's all I can do. " She said and slumped her shoulders. She just hoped that Jonathan would house her until then, maybe even help her? Though of course, he didn't have to. 

Truth be told he wouldn't mind helping her at all, he assumed the colony she wanted to find was a large group of her people, so that meant somewhere in London lived what was likely an entire society hidden somewhere. "I will help you search for them tonight, and any needed following nights after. You just need to wait until I finish my nightshift if you are alright with that Miss Laura. " He explained, as he could not neglect his patients, they counted on his arrival after all. But unless someone was in need of something serious, then his shift didn't take that long, it should leave plenty of the night to search. 

Of course, she was okay with that, she didn't even expect that much from him! She lit up, excited to have help in the form of a big, scary but sweet vampire. "I don't mind! You didn't have to help me at all... but thank you, Mister Jonathan. " She answered back sweetly, her stutter finally gone now as she took a shy step closer to his face, the hand that she previously was leaning against laid down flat on the bed instead. "Does... this mean I can stay inside of you until nightfall? " She asked, not wanting to be a pest but he didn't answer that part. She knew it was a little crazy to ask for it but she couldn't deny the safe, cozy feeling she had even now, just thinking about it. 

The Ekon chuckled lightly, a gentle smile on his face as the previously flat hand moved again, this time moving to gently pick her up by pinching her waist, not too hard but it was a little unexpected. Laura assumed this was a yes as Jonathan brought her closer to his face, head still propped up by his other arm. "Are you sure? Once I start it won't be very easy to stop, especially once I swallow. " He asked, giving her one more chance to back out, just to be fair. She could always sleep on a table or something, it wouldn't be as comfortable as his belly but at least she wouldn't have to be eaten to get there. 

Laura took a short breath and nodded though, she had confidence that it was safe, he was safe and that there was nothing to be afraid of. "Yes I'm sure, thank you for being so kind. " She said sweetly, not having a trace of fear in her, at least none that wasn't naturally instinctual. She kept telling that part of herself that it was safe, to keep from reacting on it. Laura wanted to hug him or something, but he was holding her just a little too far away from his face for that, so she decided to try again another time. 

With her final confirmation, the Ekon opened up his mouth, not extremely wide, but just wide enough to slip her inside. He tilted his head back as he carefully slid her in feet first, her skinny frame still fitting between his fangs as she did before. After she was waist deep, he let go and let gravity slowly allow her to slide down deeper inside. The saliva on his tongue made it a slick slide, but not uncomfortable. His breath oddly didn't smell like anything, which was odd. She didn't expect him to have good breath and was frankly expecting bad, but no odor at all was a little odd.

Still, she was not complaining as she did her best to relax, watching fangs as long as her arm surround her, but never harm her. His saliva soaked into her clothing, but that was to be expected, as it only added to what he left behind that was all dried up. His tongue was soft and plush, like a pillow or a really really soft mattress, nothing like the old bed the Ekon was laying on. Once her head cleared his front teeth, he closed his mouth behind her to safely seal her up inside, while the hand that previously held her instead moved down to rest on his middle, knowing that eventually, that's where the wee one will be tucked away in. His elbow rested on his hip while his hand gave an idle pat.

It was pretty dark in his mouth, while his tongue gently shifted to lick and lap over her, coating her in a fresh, thick layer of drool. "Ick... " She said, wrinkling her face a little as she shifted some, but not too much. It was kind of gross but she figured he was doing it for a reason, she wasn't sure what that reason may be but she didn't see it as anything to be concerned about, plus it didn't last long. Gravity began to shift soon instead, or at least that's how it felt as Jonathan tipped his head back, his hair brushing against the headboard of the bed as he felt her slide back further and further. It was all a pretty easy task, he was just going slow and steady for her sake, there was no reason to spook her if he didn't have to. 

With no request to stop, the Ekon felt he was free to proceed and did just that, taking a firm, large gulp, strong enough to send the girl down his throat entirely. Slimy muscles hugged her from all sides once he swallowed, feeling every ripple and flex they made as she slipped down at a decent pace. It wasn't really slow but it wasn't fast either, she heard the faint thumping of a weak heart, or at least, a vampire's heart as she passed through his chest. A moment after, her feet pressed against a tight ring of muscle, that soon relaxed to allow Laura to slip down inside of the belly. The child's biggest concern now was making sure Jonathan sent her to the right stomach, so once the muscles released her from her grasp and allowed her whole body into the belly, she carefully crawled to the nearest wall, pressing both hands into the squishiness. "Mister Jonathan? This is the safe tummy, right? " She asked, wanting him to make sure. 

The vampire licked his lips, feeling the slight fluttering inside as he leveled his head again. Her question was unexpected but not entirely unwarranted, thankfully he had enough control over his muscle movements to direct which belly she was tucked into. "Yes young lady, don't worry, you're safe. " He assured kindly, giving a soft, tender rub to his middle. He hoped she wouldn't end up regretting her choice to be devoured again, of course, if she did change her mind he would let her out without a fuss. The wee one was a lot safer in there though, even if Jonathan himself was now a little unsettled with knowing Geoffrey was in the area again. Anytime he showed up, bad stuff happened, sometimes people got hurt, even if it wasn't his fault per say. 

Laura relaxed to hear his gentle assurance, alongside the soft, rubbing motions from the outside. She was grateful with how patient he was being and slowly shifted, as if she was worried about hurting him, to lay down, leaning against the soft stomach wall. It was still really dark in here, but she knew there were no monsters or anything dangerous in here, so she was able to keep herself from being too freaked out by it. Plus it helped to close her eyes, even if she wasn't going to sleep right now. "Thank you. " She murmured, feeling safer and more comfortable than she remembered. Part of that possibly being that last time, she was freaking out and not relaxing too much. Still, the mild warmth and the soft, comfortable muscles felt nice on her poor tired body, part of her just wanting to curl up and sleep for a week. But she knew she shouldn't, Jonathan may need help in finding the colony and while she didn't know a lot, she did know some. 

Finding the colony was also on his mind, having no idea where to start or what kind of places they would live, all he knew was they had to stay hidden of course. He heard her thanks though and responded with a gentle hum and a few more soft rubs to his middle. " Is there anything you can tell me about your people? " He asked after a moment of silence, hoping she had some kind of insight on the matter. 

The girl perked her ears up to his question, it not being too unexpected. "Well... I pretty much only ever knew my mom and dad, but we did meet the colony a few years ago. They offered us to join them, but my family preferred keeping to themselves so they said no. They didn't seem upset and just kinda moved on... I think we met them in this inn or something for humans... where they go to drink stuff that makes them silly? I think it had something to do with turtles too. " Of course the child wouldn't have any real idea of bars and taverns or pubs, but Jonathan would know...

Not that he was a big drinker, but he stopped by the Turquoise Turtle a few times, namely the day he woke up as a vampire he ended up there. It sort of made sense though, there were a lot of places to hide when most of the danger was drunk or at least a little tipsy, plus there was food to be found, not much but some. "I know where you are talking about. " He answered, unsure if he was fully ready for the smell... As a human, it wasn't so bad, but with his new vampiric senses, the smell can be a little overbearing at times, not that he had a weak stomach. He would be a pretty bad doctor if he did, but it was still a little off-putting. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle, especially for the sake of this wee child. 

Laura smiled to that, happy that he did know, maybe he could find them after all. Things were finally looking up for her and she felt this sense of peace already, confident that with this gentle vampire's help, everything will turn out okay and she will get to join the colony, make friends her own size and everything. "That's good... I don't know anything else though, sorry... " She sheepishly admitted, knowing she didn't give him a whole lot to go by, but he claimed he knew enough and she believed him. 

He figured between asking Tom and some of the others vaguely about it and just simply looking around, he could find signs at least. He didn't expect to be able to get too close to the colony, but hopefully close enough that she wouldn't have too far to go or a path that was dangerous at all. If they pegged him as a vampire, they would likely react even worse than with a human, so he will have to tread carefully to not send them fleeing into deep hiding. She could always hang around the pub and wait, but the Ekon would no doubt feel bad doing that, he rather make sure she at least made it to the colony and even make sure they accepted her in if possible. There was always the chance they wouldn't and then the poor dear would be alone again, which Jonathan wasn't sure what he would do then but... one bridge at a time. First thing's first, a good nap for both of them was in order. 

"It's no trouble, young Laura, I will find them for you.... But if you don't mind, I would like to get some more sleep before nightfall. " He requested, hoping that with as soft and gentle as his belly was, she wouldn't mind also sleeping. Little did he know, she was already in a sleeping position and was merely staying awake just enough to speak to him. But with his request of sleep, it told her she didn't have to force herself to stay awake any longer. "Okay Mister Jonathan, I'm sleepy too so... uhm… goodnight? " She wasn't sure what to say since they were sleeping during the day, but goodnight was such a phrase she was used to saying to someone who was about to go to bed. 

Jonathan let out a quiet chuckle, the motion sending light vibrations through the stomach walls. "Have a good rest, dear. " He didn't answer her question, not that she directly asked him, so she didn't mind really. Laura still marveled in how gentle and polite he was, soft-spoken almost but not in a shy way, he had confidence and an air of authority but it wasn't annoying or malicious. Unlike the fake politeness, some richer folk gave, his seemed sincere, at least to her. She didn't say anything back as her thought wandered too much, idly noting that when he fell asleep again, his heart all but stopped. It was only beating faintly and slowly when he was awake, but now it was almost like... one beat every thirty seconds or more. It was a little scary, for it was a constant reminder of his inhuman nature, him just a little away from being dead, or even party dead, even how lukewarm he was, barely making any heat at all. 

Laura shook it off though, knowing the poor vampire was just sleeping peacefully and didn't deserve judgment for what his heart was doing. It made her wonder if other, meaner vampires didn't have a heartbeat at all? She remembered that lady said all vampires had red eyes and perhaps it had something to do with that...? The young girl found herself gently fiddling with the tip of her tail and the pink bow on it as these various vampire related thoughts swirled in her tired head. Though it didn't take too much longer for sleep to take over, the thoughts becoming jumbled and lacking sense before finally she fell asleep fully, feeling a sense of comfort and peace within the kind Ekon's belly. 

They both slept calmly throughout the rest of the day, Jonathan unmoving throughout his entire rest. To the untrained eye, it could almost seem like he died in his sleep, given his slower breathing, pale skin and almost unnervingly still state. Meanwhile, Laura tossed and turned a little, not to the Ekon's fault but the distress of the previous events, with the other vampire, the rat, losing her home, losing her family, it was a lot of stress for one child to have. But the soft flesh around her did its best to ease her nightmares and occasionally, in her sleeping state, she snuggled against the softness. Meanwhile, Jonathan still had one hand rested protectively over his middle, a content, soft smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading~ Come tomorrow we shall have the 3rd and final part, yay!


	3. The colony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the final part! I hope you all enjoy, it was fun to do.

Jonathan awoke first, pale blue-green eyes opened to be greeted with darkness... He dreaded the instinctual, nocturnal feeling of 'it was time to hunt' when it wasn't, there was no chance he was going to hunt with Laura with him, even if it was just rats he'd be after it still didn't sit well with him. No he will take her to her new home first, he wasn't incredibly thirsty so he felt comfortable with holding off. He didn't move right away, instead, he focused on his insides... to see if Laura was awake, but he didn't feel any movement so he suspected that she was probably still asleep. It was okay, she didn't have to be awake, especially since he still wanted to do his nightly shift first, to make sure all of his patients were healthy before he went to the pub. 

He moved slowly as he pulled the covers off of himself, before carefully sitting up while swinging his legs around to hang off the edge of the bed, or well... His feet hit the ground since the bed was somewhat low. He ran a hand over his face, still a little groggy from sleep, but he attempted to fully wake up. His human side told him to go back to bed, it was late! But his vampiric side said quite the reverse and he had to listen to it, to a degree. So he stood up, in a smooth, fluid motion to avoid disturbing Laura, who moved to the bottom of his stomach due to the gravity shift, but she still seemed to be asleep from what he could tell. 

He scanned the room briefly as if expecting someone else to be here, but it was all empty. No angry Geoffrey, no other vampires, not even a rat. Satisfied with his check to make sure he wouldn't get ambushed, he stood up and walked towards the door, then grabbed the handle and twisted, pushing it open to be greeted by a flickering, broken light above him. He didn't look at it since he was used to it at this point. Instead, he used his mist ability to get down from the balcony and onto the ground again. With a worried frown, he paused and rested a hand on his middle again, making sure the 'jump' didn't jostle her too much. He felt her shift a little inside of him, but otherwise, she just seemed to settle down again and kept sleeping. 

For the first two hours of the night, Jonathan checked up on the people of London that were under his care, treating the ones who needed it with various medicines to help with their migraines and such. Thankfully nobody needed any serious medical attention, no surgery or anything like that. They were still thankful for his help though, as even a minor thing can turn deadly if left untreated. Laura slept through it all, his walking was soothing with the way it rocked her in a gentle, smooth manner, like being in a soft, slimy crib. Jonathan, on the other hand, had to circle around back to the docks, weaving his way past some Priwen Guards without them noticing him. 

Jonathan saw the Turquoise Turtle up ahead, after what felt like longer than usual attempt to sneak around. Sneaking wasn't exactly his strong suit, but thankfully the guard was quite invested with something else to pay that close of attention. The way was clear so he was able to calmly walk up to the pub, stepping inside and seeing some of the familiar people. Tom was there, tending the bar, Sabrina was cleaning up the floors where it was possible somebody vomited, gross... He ignored it though and walked up to the bar table, where Tom was cleaning a mug. "Oh hey there Reid, can I get you a drink? " He asked, placing the mug down with the rag inside. 

Of course, he couldn't drink, at least not what Tom would serve. "No thank you Sir Thomas, I wanted to ask you about something though if you have a moment. " The vampire asked, the request was polite, though promising an invasion of privacy again, something Tom was used to from the vampire at this point. He shrugged, keeping an open mind. "You can ask, what is it? " Tom figured could always refuse if it was too much. Jonathan leaned on the table some, not wanting the whole pub to hear. "Have you... noticed any little creatures hiding somewhere within your pub? Or even nearby? " He asked in a slightly hushed voice, not wanting to get Tom into trouble. 

The other man frowned, seeming to be offended by the question. "You mean rats? No, I haven't, besides the occasional one that gets in that we shoo off. " He answered back, crossing his arms as he wondered what this was all about. Jonathan could tell that he possibly offended Tom though and decided to try and clarify. "I don't mean rats exactly... but something smaller and perhaps more unusual? " He suggested, figuring that if this didn't ring any bells then Tom may not know at all and he should search on his own. But the Ekon was quite confident that the owner would know if he had tiny mouse people, especially a whole colony, living in his pub. 

Tom did have a look of realization in his eyes, though he tried to hide it, Jonathan caught it anyway. But he was the one soon being judged when the human stared at him closely, eyes narrowed as he searched Jonathan's tiny milk bottle eyes, searching for any signs of malice or anything else that may feel like the vampire wanted to hurt them. But Jonathan did not, for he only wanted to find them for Laura's sake. "Okay... fine, yes I know what you're asking for. " He admitted quietly, picking the glass up and went back to cleaning it to keep himself busy. 

Jonathan was glad to hear that though, he was finally getting somewhere! "Can you tell me where I can find them? It's important, I found one of their kind and she wants to meet them, maybe even join them. " He stated, hoping to ease any possible lingering worries of what his intentions were. At least this way, he was able to show that he only wanted to rehome an orphaned child and he trusted Tom enough, if he was wanting to protect the colony then he wouldn't be any danger to Laura. 

The pub owner glanced around the room, making sure no one was watching or looked to be listening. Of course, they couldn't be entirely sure but it looked like everyone was too drunk to pay much attention. "I don't know exactly where they live, but we do leave some food scraps out for them in the back room, between two of our largest kegs. If she waits there, I'm sure she will get to meet them. " He explained before he put the mug down again and reached into his pocket, pulling out a simple bronze key. "Take this, it will let you into the back room, but please lock it once you're done, then give the key back to me or Sabrina. " He requested. Jonathan took the key from his palm while he tried to avoid touching the man, not wanting his cold hand to tip him off. 

"Thank you, Thomas, don't worry I will return the key. " The vampire assured before he turned and walked around to where the back room door was. He tried the knob first and sure enough, it was locked, as promised. So he slipped the key into the keyhole and turned, hearing the click of the deadbolt. He pulled the key out again and pushed the door open, walking through it and then closed the door behind him. Inside was nothing too special, it was a stockroom like any other, though the Ekon did soon spot the two kegs Tom mentioned, just in time for him to start to feel a certain young lady stir from her slumber within the vampire's soft belly. 

Laura wasn't sure how long she slept, she was groggy when her eyes first opened, though they were greeted to darkness as if she didn't open her eyes at all. That was a little scary at first as she jolted awake, but the slimy stomach around her reminded her of where she was and why... She remembered the safety she felt inside of Jonathan and figured she was still in his belly. Though she noted the soft swaying motion as he walked towards the kegs... Though she didn't understand right away that it was him walking. "Mister Jonathan? Is everything okay? " She asked, not sounding afraid but simply confused and wondering, Being in his stomach was cozy, but it lacked windows so she was pretty much blind to what was going on outside. 

Jonathan walked up to the kegs and slowly knelt down, seeing signs of left behind food, though none was here at the moment. "Yes Miss Laura, everything is quite alright, did you sleep well? " The kind Ekon said while he rested a gentle hand over his middle again. He kept his voice quiet though since he wasn't really supposed to be back here, Tom gave him the go ahead but he didn't want to get messed with by Sabrina or whoever else might come back here. 

The young one yawned as she heard him speak, he was obviously awake then and judging by how his heartbeat was above her, she suspected he was up and about too. How long into the night did she sleep? She felt a little bad leaving him alone, but he did say he had patients to check on... "Yes I did... t-thank you, sorry if... if it was too well. How long have you been up? " She questioned, mostly curious since it was true there wasn't much she could do, being a wee child nestled in the vampire's tummy, but there was always moral support if he needed such a thing. 

He didn't really mind though, he knew she was tired and being young, she needed lots of sleep. Tom was helpful and he found them pretty quickly, or well... found a place where the girl can wait, anyway. "Only a few hours. It's alright Miss Laura, I found where the colony is though. " He informed her, figuring the news will brighten her up. 

She did gasp softly in surprise, already? She'd been searching ever since her parents died and she never really was able to find any decent trace of them... She guessed perhaps this was why vampires were such good hunters, though really she mostly got lucky, remembering such an important part that Jonathan knew where to go from it. "Wow... that was so fast, have you seen them? Can I see them? " She asked, getting excited to meet more of her kind that was hopefully nicer than that other lady. 

"You can come out yes, though mostly we have to wait until they arrive, or... you do anyway, I should stay back so I don't scare them off. " He pointed out. glancing behind him for a moment to check on the door. "The owner of the pub, the Turquoise Turtle, is feeding them a little, he gave me the back room key and told me where he leaves the food. I figure the best thing is for you to wait here and I'll stay in the main customer area. " He explained, at least so she knew what was going on and wasn't entirely left in the dark of his plans. 

Laura was a little nervous about that though, a small whimper escaping her. "W-what if something goes wrong? " She asked, clearly worried. She would feel a little better if he was there to take her to safety if they turned out to be mean. Granted she had faith that they would be nice, but it was always a chance, it's been a long time, perhaps while they were nice a few years ago, they are not so much anymore. 

Jonathan had considered that already though and smiled, giving a gentle pat to his middle. "Scream, humans likely won't hear you but I will, I will come and help you. " He assured, it was understandable she wanted protection after all, but it would be pretty cruel of them to be mean to a child. 

The little girl felt better about that, vampires were fast.. "Okay, so... should I come out now? " She asked, which was something she had mixed feelings on. Of course, she wanted to meet the colony with a chance of a home and friends, but she felt quite safe in the gentle Ekon's second belly and naturally, she wanted to stay where she felt the safest. But she can't really stay here forever and he spent the time to find the colony, it'd be mean to turn him down now. 

"Yes, if you are ready, I'll let you out and show you where to wait for them, Miss Laura. " He then straightened up, already preparing to let her out and mostly just waiting for the word. He understood her hesitations but, if they were a nice big family of her kind, then it would be a lot better for her than any other home he could offer or bring her to. She deserved to be with people like her and not people that would eat her or squish her. He didn't understand why her family turned the offer down though, that was the only thing that made him concerned and confused. 

Laura took a deep breath, relaxing against the stomach walls and softly snuggled against them. It was possibly the last time she may ever see the vampire once he let her out and left. But she won't ever forget his kindness and the protection he provided her. She won't forget the grumpy yet kind vampire hunter, Geoffrey either, for he was also the first human who didn't purposely try to kill her and without his help, she likely wouldn't have been able to return to Jonathan. While Jonathan was the first vampire she met, he was also the gentlest and it was quickly proven that not all were so kind. She took a deep breath then and spoke up. "Okay, I'm... I'm ready Mister Jonathan. " 

The doctor gave her all the time she needed, he was in no big hurry, after all, so he just calmly waited those few moments, feeling the soft, warm feeling in his heart from how she seemed to snuggle his soft innards. Once she was ready, he began his part. "Alright then, please be still, young lady. " He nicely requested, before he calmly closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand. 

Inside, the walls began to slowly close in, starting at the bottom of his stomach and working upwards, gently squishing the little one up towards the entrance of the stomach. She has been through this once before so it wasn't quite so scary, especially now she understood better what was going to happen. The soft muscles were as gentle as before, kneading her up slowly but surely until she entered his mouth again. It was dark in here too but she knew, not for long. Laura braced herself as the Ekon's jaws parted, a natural fear spiking in her heart at the sight of those fangs, but she knew he wouldn't use them on her. She took a deep breath to calm her natural nerves before she carefully crawled to the front of his mouth just in time for his fingers to reach in and gently pluck her out. 

The young girl was covered in drool, but otherwise, she was perfectly unscathed. Now that she wasn't going to run away, Jonathan reached into one of his many coat pockets and pulled out a white handkerchief, in which he gently wrapped the cloth around her to help dry her off. After that she laid loosely in his palm, wrapped up like a small child burrito. "There, hopefully, you'll be a little more... presentable to your new friends, Miss Laura. " He stated a friendly close-lipped smile on his face. 

The cloth was soft on her delicate form, while it also helped dry her off. "Thank you, it's... probably better that I'm not all wet... I don't know if they'd understand that.... you nicely ate me. " She said with a small giggle, imagining the horror if they saw that. She used the cloth to help dry off her hair, face, and feet too, before drying off her tail next. Thankfully the little burrito he made her into was loose enough for her to unravel from. 

The Ekon however, got a slightly mischievous glint in those pale eyes of his. "They say actions speak louder than words, young lady, perhaps if I were to nicely devour them all, they would understand. " He said, his tone sounding quite serious, but the glint and a faint smirk on the corner of his mouth hinted that he was merely joking. 

Laura gasped though, imagining him charging in as she was talking to the colony and gobbling them all up. "Oh, Mister Jonathan uh... I don't think that's a good idea, they might just get more freaked out... and I'm not sure if there's enough room in your tummy. " He was big and had a big storage belly, sure, but... Last she saw of the colony, it was a lot of her people, enough for a large army. Plus what if they had weapons? Like needles or other small, sharp objects? They might hurt him. 

Of course, Jonathan wasn't serious, but it was mildly adorable to see her all worried. "Ohh I'm sure I can make room... " He trailed off and brought her up to his face again, seeing the child not look nervous per say, but worried, worried for him oddly enough, but he kept it up regardless. "... in my heart to resist such a temptation... " He trailed off again, seeing confusion spread across Laura's face, obviously expecting him to say stomach instead. But he helped ease her nerves by giving a gentle nuzzle to the tiny girl with his nose. "... For such a jest. " he finally finished, giving away at last that he was merely joking. 

Laura giggled from the nuzzle as he gently teased her, glad that he stated he was kidding. She figured he wouldn't do that... probably, but at the moment she believed him. "You scared me~ " She exclaimed, but hugged his nose happily anyway, small hands just a little bit from his eyes. The large vampire let out a gentle hum, smiling from the nose hug. "I apologize, Miss Laura. " He stated, though his tone was still lighthearted. 

The child wasn't mad at him though, it was hard to be mad at Jonathan, he was too sweet. "It's okay. " She assured, looking into one of his eyes with a sweet smile. Though she did let out a small squeak in surprise when he soon gently pulled her from his face. She wondered if he didn't like it or something, but then he brought her to his chest instead, giving her a hug in return it seemed. The girl leaned against him into the hug he provided, what the Ekon lacked in body heat, he made up for it with a warm heart. 

Jonathan wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, he never held anyone close like this, besides Ashbury, since becoming a vampire. He was always afraid that having his face so close to them would... trigger an instinct, but that wasn't an issue in this case, given how Laura fit so adorably in his hand. It was so peaceful and relaxing, for a moment he felt human, entirely human. But eventually he knew he had to leave the child, she had to get to her new home and her people, instead of snuggling against a vampire. "I'll miss you, dear child, but I hope you have a nice home here. " He finally spoke up, mostly he would miss her because she made him not feel like a monster for once, she knew what he was and she still trusted him and liked him. 

Laura didn't mind the soft embrace against his fancy coat and shirt, he was quite comfortable, both inside and out, while his hand was so soft and gentle with her. She was a little surprised to hear him admit he would miss her, but of course, she felt the same, the man was a good friend and he made her feel safe just being around him. "I will miss you too... maybe if you come back here, we can say hello to one another? " She asked hopefully, not being sure how often he stopped by here but regardless, even once was better than none. 

The Ekon did stop by here though, especially if Tom or Sabrina got sick and they needed medicine, or if he was looking for someone in the docks. "I do actually and I would love to visit you, hopefully without scaring the others. " He figured the colony may not be thrilled to have a vampire come around their abode all the time, even if he was a gentle and harmless one. 

The young girl seemed happy regardless though as she smiled up at him. She grabbed some of the cloth on his chest and hugged against it for a moment, knowing he wouldn't lie to her. "Thank you... I can meet you out here or... somewhere, so they won't know. " She reasoned, especially if Tom knew of her people then perhaps she could ask him where the best place to meet Jonathan would be. 

That was a good idea, and with that he slowly crouched down again, his hand moving to rest on the ground for her to step off onto the ground. "Good idea, especially if the colony doesn't approve of a vampire. " He answered as she stepped off of his palm. "Remember, if something goes wrong, call to me. " He reminded her, one of her kind already took her family home so it was not unreasonable to be worried that maybe the colony wouldn't be so welcoming and friendly. 

Laura nodded up at him, though she took pause to see just how big he was from standing on the ground. It was easy to forget there was more to him than waist up when she was being held in his hand or when he was laying down on a bed. She shook it off though and smiled, she was more nervous about the colony than anything else. "I will, thank you again so much, Mister Jonathan. " She said happily, watching as he slowly stood up and took a few steps back. 

"You're welcome, dear. " He answered back kindly, hesitating for a moment as he worried about leaving her alone, but he knew he had to. So he turned around and opened the door again, walking back out into the main pub area. He closed the door behind him before walking over to a seat nearby, not wanting to be too far away from the door. Tom glanced in his direction, perhaps wondering exactly what Jon was doing but then looked away again to serve a late-night customer that just came in.

Once Jonathan left, Laura walked over to where he showed her earlier, between the two kegs. From her view, she did see various paths in which someone around her size could slip in and out with ease while being protected by the heavy kegs that no human could move easily. There was, of course, no food here, but she could smell it. The girl had no idea how long she had to wait, so she sat down and tried to mull over what she should tell them once they showed themselves. 

A good few minutes past and she found herself so deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the two adults entering the area, one holding a toothpick and the other was holding a sewing needle and a thimble. "You traitor... " The adult female said, who had the needle and thimble, glaring daggers at Laura as they both stepped closer, weapons aimed at the ready to attack. "How dare you bring a vampire to our home?! " The male one exclaimed in anger. 

Laura gasped and jumped up, how did they know... ? "We saw your little heartfelt exchange with the monster, don't try to deny it. " The woman pointed out, causing the child to whimper and take a step back. "He's not a monster, please, he only helped me get to you guys, he means no harm to any of us. " She tried to tell the two. She understood why they were upset, just a day ago she felt the same thing, that all vampires were monsters, worse than humans, something to fear and hate. But Jonathan was different, he was kind and gentle, never so much as harmed a single hair on her. 

The scoffed though, shaking their heads. " He helped you so he could find us, we will have to move now if we want to avoid becoming lunch. All vampires are cruel and calculating creatures, willing to trick and lie to get what they want. They are undead, incapable of compassion. " The woman spat out, fueled with loathing. "And you brought him to us! You foolish child... " The male scolded, jabbing the toothpick at her, though not hitting her. 

Laura flinched away from it anyway and sniffed sadly, tears threatening to fall. "Please... I just want a home... If you met him, you would understand why I trust him. " She pleaded. This was not how she expected this to go and frankly, she was already regretting it. She was tempted to call for Jonathan now, but she wanted to try and resolve this without bringing him into the room, as it would only make things worse probably. 

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but the male cut her off. "Wait a darn second... you're Dan's girl, ain't you? That idiot who refused our offer for him and his family to join the protection of the colony? I heard him and his wife died at the hands of a vampire. " The mention of the events stung, it was true that a vampire killed them, but Jonathan wasn't responsible for the actions of every vampire in London. The girl dabbed at her eyes with her shirt sleeve, trying not to cry too much. "It's... true... But Mister Jonathan isn't like that, he's not dangerous. " She assured urgently. 

Both of them scoffed before the female adult raised her needle. "Not dangerous? Assuming he is as nice as you claim, it's still in his nature to drink the blood of living creatures. What do you think he would do if he smelled yours? " She questioned before she moved to try and prick Laura with the needle. The child was quick though as she ducked out of the way. "Jonathan! Mister Jonathan! " She called out as she began to run from the two. "Hey! Get back here traitor! " She couldn't hold it back anymore, despite earlier not wanting to call him, things escalated quickly and she felt she needed help.

Jonathan sat at the table, bored out of his mind yet waiting patiently, then he heard it, Laura called for him, her squeaky voice was distressed, fearful, something went wrong, very wrong. He got up out of the chair and stormed to the door. Tom gave him a weird look as he vanished into the storeroom again, seeming to be in a hurry. 

It happened so fast, one minute she was running, the next she saw a puff of black and red smoke again, just in time to be gently scooped up in a familiar, yet gentle hand. She was thankful for the cool touch as she clung to one of his fingers, shaking and trembling. She didn't dare look at the two others, though she knew calling him probably wasn't helping her case, she didn't care either. They were going to hurt her, she was sure of it. 

Once they saw the vampire appear in the room, they stopped, watching as he scooped the girl up and held her against his chest again, before glaring at them back. "What were you doing? " He asked in a stern tone, clearly displeased at best. They knew better than to run, for that only triggered the predatory urges in a vampire and they were too far away to make it to their hiding spots behind the kegs. "Leave us monster, this doesn't concern you. " The woman told him sharply back, though both of them deep down had a dreaded feeling that they will not survive the night. 

Jonathan sneered, baring his fangs for a moment. "The young lady called for help, she wouldn't have done so if something wasn't wrong. " He hoped somebody would tell him the truth, though given how frightened Laura was, she probably won't be the one. The male adult sighed, lowering his toothpick. "We were trying to prove a point, that... that if you smelled her blood, you wouldn't be the harmless teddy bear she claimed you were. " He admitted to the Ekon, looking a tiny bit guilty for the thought. Jonathan didn't like that at all though, knowing it was a risk to the girl's life to do that... Sure, his control has been pretty good as of late, but there was no reason to tempt fate, plus he hadn't fed in a little while. It hasn't been abnormally long but it was still longer than he'd prefer if wounds were going to be inflicted. "You wanted to risk her life, just to make a point? " He asked in a sharp tone, surprised that these two were still here, speaking to him but he was going to take full advantage for answers. 

Laura huddled against Jonathan's chest for security, sort of listening to the conversation now that she was safe. She had full confidence that Reid would never hurt her though, he was much too kind and thoughtful for that, she had already been in his mouth twice and nothing went wrong, so it was hard to believe anything could make that change. Granted she didn't quite understand the difference between a tired vampire with no smell of blood to tempt him, versus one that was wide awake and a bit hungry, with the scent of blood in the air. Even with that though, the child was still in good hands, quite literally at the moment. His touch wasn't that warm, but it didn't matter at this point, she was just glad to no longer be threatened with sharp objects. 

The female puffed up again to that. "So you admit that you'd give in to your urges for blood? " She asked, though it was a loaded question. Jonathan opened his mouth to answer, to explain that while it was likely things would be fine, he rather not put it to the test for no reason. If he felt his will slipping, he could always swallow her again, as there were no teeth in his storage belly. But before he could form any words, he was cut off by a new voice. "Enough! " It was another mouse-like person, this one was larger than all the others he's seen, but he also held a cane and wore tattered clothing, more tattered than the others. He pointed his cane to the two armed adult mice people, seemingly displeased. "Why are you harassing one of our own kind? " He demanded, not sounding pleased at all. 

Jonathan stayed quiet, not daring to bring himself to the spotlight on this, he was just glad that hopefully this was the... leader or king or whatever and he was more reasonable than the other two. "We're sorry sir, it's just... she brought a vampire to us! " They both gestured to the Ekon in the room, though Jon noticed that the leader, while he turned to look in his direction, he wasn't looking... right at him. Perhaps he was blind? "Yes I've noticed, what has he done? " The leader asked, though it almost sounded like he already knew the answer. 

The two fumbled with their words a bit, attempting to come up with something but, unless they wanted to lie, Jonathan didn't do anything wrong, at least to his knowledge. "Nothing... " They muttered, the answer being so quiet the vampire barely heard it and he wondered if the leader did at all. He leveled his cane to lean on it again, nodding slowly. "That's what I thought... I know our kind and vampires don't get along the best, but until this one does something that is actually threatening, there is nothing wrong with him being here. " The elder mouse person stated, or almost ordered, to the other two. They nodded back reluctantly, probably not agreeing with the mindset but not having much of a choice. "Apologies sir, won't happen again. " They quickly muttered again, before they walked away from Jon and Laura, to go back to the hiding spots behind the kegs. 

Now it was just the three of them and Jonathan wasn't sure what to expect, he hoped that the elder would be reasonable though. "Now you, young Ekon… " He began, which took Jon by surprise, how did he know about Ekons and such? And that he was one of them? Or even his age? "I appreciate your thoughtfulness to help one of our people, especially one so young and inexperienced. Don't be so surprised, we have people all throughout the city of London, watching out for danger. " As the leader spoke, Jonathan calmly walked up to him and knelt down, so he could hear him better and hopefully, the situation would be a little less awkward. 

At this point, even Laura perked up, peering down at the elder mouse person with perked ears of her own. She was still rattled but was getting better now that those two were gone. "Why didn't you help her? When she was out there all alone? " Jonathan asked, not sounding accusatory though he was confused. "You were our priority, Ekon, she was no danger to us and we had no idea she was looking for us, but you... we wanted to make sure you were not a threat. Vampires from the Ascalon Club have been especially cruel to our kind and you've been seen there. " Jonathan sighed lightly to that, indeed he couldn't deny it, but he didn't want to be there, it was only for information and help for his true goal. 

"Jonathan isn't cruel though! He's actually very nice. " Laura spoke up then, wanting to defend her friend after he'd done so much for her, the mere idea of the word 'cruel' being used towards him was enough to break her out of her shy shell. The elder tapped his cane while holding up his free hand, almost a gentle request for her to wait a moment. "I know that now, child, but we didn't know at the time. " He explained to the girl, hoping she will back down. She didn't say anything but did calm down, it made sense because she was scared of him for a while too, she was just tired of people saying mean things about the gentle giant vampire. 

Jonathan smiled faintly though, it was touching the child would defend him, even if he didn't mind, since he understood that it didn't look good, especially if the scouts observed him devouring Laura. "It's no trouble, really, but..... What of miss Laura having a home here? " Jon asked, as it was the whole reason he brought her here. "A safe home, that is... will your people treat her kindly? "He didn't want them harassing her while he was not around to protect her. After all, once tonight was over he had no idea if he could see her again or even return, so he didn't want to leave her in a place that she would get bullied at or worse. 

The elder paused, seeming to think over the question, which wasn't encouraging to the Ekon. "Yes, we will keep her safe, well fed and I will not mention your involvement. Only me, our scouts and those two know, I will be sure to make sure it stays that way. " He explained, hoping that was enough to appease the protective vampire. Jonathan was still hesitant, if anything bad happened to Laura because of him, he would feel terrible. But they didn't have any better options at this point. So he looked away from the elder and down to the young girl, slowly lifting her up to his face to get a better look at her. "Do you want to stay? I won't leave you here if you don't feel comfortable. " He stated.

Laura gasped softly in slight surprise when he lifted her up, though to see his blue-green eyes up close again was enough to make her smile. He had oddly pretty eyes, at least to her, despite the pale color that they were. He asked a pretty important question though, which she paused to think... On one hand, the elder seemed very kind and caring, but those other two... What would happen if they did tell the others? Everyone might kick her out again and then she'd be back to being alone, and who knows where Jon would be... She could try to find him but without anybody to help her, she could get lost and never find him. "Is there... somewhere where I can find you if... if something bad happens? " She asked hopefully. 

Jonathan didn't think about her coming to him if anything went wrong, but it was a good idea. Still... where should he send her? He came to the Pembroke Hospital a lot since he technically worked there, but he wasn't sure if he trusted anyone there, Edgar was a good friend but he wasn't sure how well the man would treat something so 'strange'. If he knew that she already met Geoffrey, he might suggest that if he knew where to find the vampire hunter, but at the moment he did not. The only option he could think of was Lady Ashbury's manor, in the West End. "There's another vampire, like me, her name is Elisabeth Ashbury, she's a kind woman and won't harm you. She owns a manor in the East End and will inform me of your arrival. " He explained before he brought her closer to his mouth for a moment. 

At first, Laura wasn't sure what to expect, she was pretty sure she wasn't about to be eaten again but it was still a little odd. But the truth wasn't that bad, for all he did was whisper an address, the address to her manor probably. But he didn't want the elder to know, in case he wasn't as kind as he claimed. Once he whispered the words she watched him pull away, giving a warm smile again. "Thank you... I will remember that. " She was a little nervous about meeting yet another vampire, but she trusted Jon if he said she was not mean. The manor was some ways away from here, farther than she ever traveled, but if she took her time, she could get there, slow and careful. Hopefully, she never will have to and the colony would treat her fairly, at least. 

The Ekon was relieved, he felt better about this, not entirely worry free but... better. "Goodbye Miss Laura, take care of yourself. " He said in kind, soft tone. He then leaned closer again and used the tip of his nose to nuzzle the top of her head. He heard an adorable giggle from her before tiny hands latched onto his face to hug him back, though it felt a little weird to feel her brushing against his beard. 

Laura rested her head against his cheek, right next to his nose. It was an awkward hug but neither of them minded, it was the thought that counted, after all. "Goodbye Mister Jonathan, you...… you take care too? " She asked, almost unsure if she did that right. She never really said goodbye to anyone before, at least, not like this.... not with them right with her and alive, or... alive-ish. Her confusion prompted a gentle laugh from the Ekon. "I will don't worry. " He assured. 

The two broke their hug then around the same time, with Jonathan slowly lowering his hand down onto the ground again. Laura hugged Jonathan's ring finger one last time, giving it a good squeeze before letting go. She then turned to the Elder, who upon closer inspection from Laura, could tell he was indeed blind. His eyes didn't focus on anything, just sort of stared off into nothing, but he was facing her. "Come, child, we will try to find a way for you and your fanged friend to meet again in the future. But until then, we need to get you settled in. " He kindly told her with a hand rested lightly on her shoulder. She looked back at Jonathan, hesitant still, but he smiled and made a hand gesture for her to go on. The girl took a deep breath to brace herself before she turned away and walked off behind one of the kegs. As soon as Jon left her sight, she couldn't help the faint, sad feeling in her heart. But she tried to brush it off, he brought her here to get a new, stable home with people of her own kind, it was what she wanted and what was best for her as long as they were kind. 

Jonathan watched until she was gone and even then, he stayed a moment longer before he finally stood up to his full height. He hoped that all will be well, he didn't have to see her again if it would jeopardize her safety in the colony, but he certainly wouldn't turn it down if the option became possible. No doubt their scouts will continue to watch him if nothing else to keep track of him, so they could come into contact if they decided they could meet up again. Until that day comes, Jonathan returned to his usual duties and his mission to stop the epidemic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it folks, feel free to tell me your thoughts, good or bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! In the next day or two I will post the rest.


End file.
